Cloudgazing
by mpsRocket
Summary: Jessie notices her partner isn't sleeping as soundly as he's trying to pretend to.


**AN** \- This was written upon a request for rocketshipping fics- unplanned and very short. Also rare in that it's mostly light and actually kinda happy!

Not any heavy romance; I'm not naturally inclined with this genre. I hope it's enjoyable!

* * *

It might not have been exactly conventional, but the hot air balloon's basket made a half-decent mattress. Or, at least, it was much more comfortable than sleeping with their backs pressed against the damp, lumpy earth.

Jessie lay with her hair as a pillow's substitute, eyes open against the biting air. It was well into the night, and her vision blurred into fuzzy patches of colour, like an old TV between channels.

Meowth was asleep, curled up in the corner of the basket. She could hear his purrs, rumbling with each breath he took. She wasn't so convinced that James was out for the count.

His eyes were shut, and he hadn't moved much, but he looked too stiff to be asleep. His breathing wasn't heavy enough. Jessie tapped him with the back of her hand; his eyes flicked open.

"Is everything okay?" he whispered, propping himself up on his elbow.

"Yeah yeah, fine," Jessie replied. "Just wanted to know if you were awake."

"Mm."

Silence settled again, and James let his head relax. Jessie mirrored his gaze to the sparse stars above, cloaked by a veil of grey clouds that crawled over the sky. She turned back to her partner, watching him blinking, his chest rising and falling to a gentle rhythm.

He was thinking about it again. Jessie hadn't quite worked out what 'it' was, but she recognised his musing expression, that crinkle of his brow. He'd always seem a little dejected afterwards, so whatever thoughts he went over couldn't be pleasant. She guessed they were something relating to his family, or maybe a more broad existentialism.

"Whatever you're thinking about, don't," she told him. James moved his head to face her, puzzled. "It's obviously not helping you."

"I…" James trailed off. "I've just been stuck on this thought, lately, since last week- when we robbed that poke-mart? And then when we were leaving someone yelled that we were scum, and they sounded so genuine."

Jessie waved her hand.

"You know better than to listen to people we're in the middle of robbing," she said. "It's all death threats this, I hope Jenny shoots you in an alley that- people just get mad and shout whatever brings them a little satisfaction."

"No, I know, but-" James paused. "It just made me realise that that's how the world really sees me. I mean, I haven't made any mark on the world that isn't annoying, or criminal, or… Evil."

Jessie scoffed at this.

"Okay, you're not evil, for starters. Evil doesn't nearly faint when the Boss suggests we start carrying firearms."

"But I mean, if I vanished, no one would care. Quite a few people would probably be relieved- what does that say about me as a person?"

"James." Jessie regarded him sternly, their faces close enough for him to feel the warmth of her breath. "You've got two people within a three meter radius who would go on a rampage if you went missing. I'm not gonna pretend you're a saint, because we both know you're not, but you matter. A lot."

When he just gazed back at her, mildly stunned, she extended an arm and clasped him on the shoulder.

"You mean a hell of a lot to me. And I'll be insulted if that isn't good enough for you, because I don't dish out that kinda praise to just anyone," she continued.

"Jessie…"

James' mouth twitched into a smile. "Thank you."

She'd felt the dreaded urge for a while, watching his face in the dim glow of moonlight. He wouldn't want to. He wasn't thinking anything along those lines. Besides, wouldn't it be weird? He was James.

But she still found herself cupping a hand underneath his chin. She looked into his eyes carefully, scanning for a reaction. He stared back with equal attentiveness.

It was James who began to move his mouth closer to hers, but Jessie who closed the gap, opening her lips to meet with his. She kissed him gently, being sure to pull away slightly after the initial embrace, giving him the chance to back out. He didn't.

Then it was over, and they were lying side by side again, facing each other in the quiet of the night. Jessie studied James' eyes again. Their green was lost in the darkness, but the happiness in them was evident.


End file.
